Faith that pleases God
I’ve had more than my fair share of dramatically answered prayers, and have been blessed with some memorable, red letter day experiences that I’m grateful to be able to reflect upon when times are tough and faith seems to fade. But I also meet many Christians who can’t remember a time when God clearly spoke to them, and have not experienced dramatic God-moments at all: yet still, wonderfully, they trust him. Who has the greater faith? I’m sure that they do. Sometimes I wonder if some of my ‘big’ answers to prayer come from a God who is generous enough to see that I need some of those huge encouragements to keep me going. But I salute those who determine to believe in God, even though he seems consistently silent and elusive. We can fall into the danger of making the Christian life sound more dynamic and supernatural than it is. Surely there are seasons when all we can do is affirm our stubborn faith in the God who has given us scripture. Let’s remember, when other Christians make it sound like they have a static-free continuously uninterrupted hotline to God, that the Christian faith always involves faith at the most basic level - believing that God exists. There is a God, whatever our emotions and experiences might say.
What is the greatest challenge to your placing your faith in God? How do you deal with that challenge?